Hi All - Any new thoughts on cameras in this genre? I need to quickly pull the trigger on a new camera (this weekend) and the S95/100 and some of the others look like pretty good options. Any hot new items out there that should be considered? I could also up the price range if needed - up to $1000? Was considering a bigger DSLR, but it really does seem impractical for my desired point and click lifesytle. But I'd like to step it up and at least learn some basics of shooting with a decent camera.

Bean wrote:The Olympus Tough TG-1 is intriguing. Might not have to decide between nice photos and durability, having trouble finding a proper review though.

I'm in the same boat - my Olympus SW is finally wearing out after 6 years of intense abuse. I've been very impressed with it's durability, but the picture quality and limited zoom are typical for pocket-sized point and shoot cameras.

The new TG series looks awesome: Just as tough as my old one, with a wide lens for quality landscape shots right out of the box, and you can attach actual lenses for more professional shots (they sell a telephoto and a fisheye). Finally, the best of both worlds. Plus, the large aperture seems to handle low light and action better than most. I'm 85% set on buying one for an upcoming trip.

One thing you guys can consider is looking at a used DSLR - you can find a nice quality body/lens package for the price range of the original poster from Nikon or Canon. The great thing about the Prosumer cameras is their small size and lightweight, but hard to compare in low light situations, high contrasting areas (i.e. snow and rock), etc, where the DSLR will usually always be better, but heavier...